Epicor Eclipse Distribution ERP Introduces New Levels Of Efficiency

Epicor Software Corporation, a provider of business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organizations, recently announced the general availability of the latest version of Epicor Eclipse, its wholesale distribution enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for distributors in the electrical, plumbing and HVAC sectors. Eclipse v.9.0 features a refreshed user interface (UI) and technical innovations that foster business efficiency and productivity.

This version of Epicor Eclipse delivers a new user experience with a completely new main window, menu structures and navigation panels; a new Web widget to view other Web sites in the main window; and new "Metro-style" widgets with configurable widget size, color and notification method. The visually appealing, task-focused and user-friendly graphic interface of Eclipse v.9.0 will help employees accomplish more in their daily work and provide better customer service.

In addition, a number of innovations have been introduced to support increased business efficiency for distributors. These include a new volume rebate tracking system for vendor purchases, an eBulletin Board for critical announcements, an all-new chat-format messaging system, an improved central purchasing process, faster material returns, and new optional integration to Avalara for tax calculation and filing services.

For more information on the new release of Epicor Eclipse, call 1.800.776.7438 to speak with an Epicor solutions specialist, or email info@epicor.com.

Epicor Eclipse version 9.0 home screen 
 

Registration Now Open For UnleashWD 2014

The 2014 Innovation Summit will be in Chicago on Oct. 29-30. UnleashWD is the only innovation summit for the wholesale distribution industry.

The innovation journey continues on a familiar date and with a keynote speaker that will inspire.

The third annual UnleashWD innovation summit will continue its effort to promote innovation and fresh ideas in the wholesale distribution industry on Oct. 29-30 in Chicago. Andrew Berlin, the CEO of Berlin Packaging and the owner of the minor league baseball team the South Bend (Ind.) Silver Hawks, will serve as one of the keynote speakers.

“The UnleashWD community is privileged to have a business leader of Andrew’s stature join us,” Dirk Beveridge, Founder of UnleashWD said. “Andrew is a titan within wholesale distribution, but his talk is going to focus on the lessons he has learned as a baseball team owner. He is a game changer and his speech will be one as well.”

Beveridge founded the UnleashWD innovation summit based on reinventing the values of innovation, thought leadership, company culture and business model design for the wholesale distribution industry. The conference sought to take the best ideas from all of business and to lift and shift them into the wholesale distribution industry. Lift and shift is the UnleashWD concept of applying ideas from outside of wholesale distribution and applying them to the industry.

UnleashWD features a line-up of innovative business leaders from outside of wholesale distribution. They speak during 18-minute presentations, which are followed by lift and shift workshops that place the speakers’ lessons into the context of wholesale distribution.

“We have grown by leaps and bounds over the past two years,” Dirk Beveridge, Founder of UnleashWD said. “We have created a forum to promote change within an industry that desperately needs it. We started something here a couple of years ago, and we are starting to see the results.”

Registration is now open at UnleashWD.com.

All at BSW Consulting offer their condolences to ISA and John Buckley's family.

It is with great sadness that the Industrial Supply Association announces the sudden death of John Buckley at the age of 66 on Wednesday, February 12, 2014 of an apparent heart attack. John served as Executive Vice President of ISA since July 2004. Known for his energy, passion, knowledge of the industry and team building skill, John will be sorely missed.

John began his long and illustrious career in the wholesale distribution industry 30 years ago. Starting out in the member services side of the association management business, he held a variety of positions working on retention and recruitment through research and economic reporting. He spent 25 years with the National Paper Trade Association and was one of the founders of the Paper and Plastics Education Research Foundation. He also published the award winning association magazine, Sales & Marketing News.

John served on the Board of Directors of NAW, the Distribution Research and Education Foundation and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Committee of 100. For 20 years, John represented the U.S. at EUROPA and the Common Market Congress of the Paper Industry. He was an advisor to four startup companies in the real estate development, technology and digital advertising areas.

John was ISA's chief staff executive and he also served on the ISA Education Foundation Board of Trustees and the Advisory Board for the Industrial Careers Pathways.

John is survived by his wife of 42 years, Barbara Curley Buckley, and his most beloved daughter Alana. He will be missed by his brothers, Michael and Richard, and their wives Ellen and Elaine. He was devoted to his nieces, Sharon and Mariah Hughes, Lauren Solomon, Sarabeth, Emily and Julia Buckley and his nephew, Christopher Hughes.

To leave a message for the family please go to http://johnbuckleycommemoration.wordpress.com.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Manhasset Women's Coalition Against Breast Cancer, P.O. Box 1007, Manhasset, NY 11030. Please specify that your gift should be used for the Coalition's Outreach Program in John’s name.

Despite the grief over this sudden loss, ISA headquarters will provide continuity of operations with the support of the ISA Officers, Board and its team members, Joe Casey, Gary Cheeseman, Melissa Jidenma, and Mary Ritchie.

Tenth Semi-Annual Advanced Profit Improvement Conference

March 19-20, 2013, in Scottsdale, Arizona, Sponsored By: Infor

Attend this unique, high-value conference that will help your wholesale distribution company become more profitable. This two day event packs in the latest best practices in using analytics to significantly improve profitability - in sales, marketing, pricing, inventory and more. Past attendees have achieved multi-million-dollar profit gains using the strategies and tactics learned here. View brochure here.

The Spring APIC Conference will be offering an expanded lineup of conference speakers, adding new perspectives and new techniques to the wide range of time-tested strategies. These people are the best in the business, with published authors and executives with decades of experience sharing the best of their knowledge.

Unlike other events, conference speakers are part of the audience during the entire conference. This gives you opportunities to discuss your business with some of the best thinkers in distribution. For each conference, the speakers update and expand their content, adding new information to suit an evolving market.

Conference Speakers include: Brent Grover, Jonathan Bein, Bruce Merrifield, Tom Gale, Tony Pericle, Mike J. Lamping, Jay Greyson, Randy MacLean, Margaret Reynolds, Steve Deist, Bruce Constantine

Register Now: http://images.magnetmail.net/images/clients/GALEMEDIA/attach/APIC2013Registration.pdf

VAI Wins 2012 IBM Beacon Award for Outstanding Solution for Midsize Businesses

"Recipients of the 2012 IBM Beacon Award set the standard for business excellence, innovative solutions, ingenuity, and client transformation," said Mark Hennessy, general manager, IBM Global Business Partners and Midmarket. "We congratulate VAI on winning the Beacon Award for Outstanding Solution for Midsize Businesses and demonstrating its ability to provide value by incorporating a truly innovative, end-to-end ERP solution for the mid-sized market.” 

VS2K Enterprise

Industry Solutions for durable goods, food, apparel and pharmaceutical designed for Agility, Business Insight, Mobility and Growth.

• Wholesale Distribution
• Warehouse Management
• Rental 
• e-Commerce
• Sales Force Automation
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Enterprise Portal
• Service & Repair
• Analytics

Click Here to learn more!

Visma, a KKR portfolio company, Invests in Acumatica

Investment and distribution agreement to accelerate adoption of Acumatica’s Cloud accounting, ERP, and CRM software worldwide.

Acumatica, a provider of Cloud ERP software, announced the close of a round of investment led by Visma, a portfolio company of an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. In addition to the investment, Visma will help to accelerate Acumatica sales and partnership goals, through its own activities as a leading Nordic-based technology company that delivers accounting, tax, and payroll applications to hundreds of thousands of SMEs in the Nordic region and through its network. The investment will be used to help Acumatica expand its sales and marketing efforts, continue development of its leading technology platform, and secure its position as a leader in providing Cloud ERP software.

Unlike traditional software solutions, Acumatica allows clients to work from anywhere without complex client software so businesses can involve everybody while saving money on deployment and ongoing operational costs. Unlike SaaS-only providers, Acumatica allows customers to control the location of their data, the timing of upgrades, and ongoing software expenses.

“Acumatica is the only established Cloud ERP vendor with technology that gives customers the choice to deploy their software on-premise, hosted in a cloud datacenter, or purchased as a turnkey SaaS solution,” said Øystein Moan, CEO at Visma. “Our investment in Acumatica acknowledges their unique positioning within the market and our belief that Cloud technology will play a critical role in the future of ERP software. We will adapt Acumatica for the Nordic markets and distribute Acumatica to our tens of thousands of midsized customers in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and The Netherlands.”

Acumatica’s software delivers a complete set of solutions to cover all mid-sized business needs. This includes advanced financial features that are integrated with inventory, sales orders, purchase orders, customer management, and many other modules. A flourishing community of third party developers utilizes Acumatica’s development platform to construct fully integrated modules for manufacturing, ecommerce, payroll, EDI, point of sales, and other vertical market solutions. Acumatica has hundreds of customers in several industries including key accounts in wholesale distribution, financial services, hospitality, manufacturing, not for profit, and professional services.

“This new round of financing is important because Visma will provide the resources to help establish Acumatica as the global leader in Cloud ERP software and introduce Acumatica to several new high-quality business partners through its network," said Ezequiel Steiner, CEO of Acumatica. "A partner like Visma is a testament to our current business plan, our product roadmap, and the efforts of our channel partners as well as a vote of confidence in our ERP technology. This partnership enhances the credibility of Acumatica in the eyes of our customers."

About Visma 
Visma is the leading Nordic-based technology company that delivers mission-critical software and services, such as accounting, tax, and payroll applications, to over 300,000 SME customers in the Nordic region and the Netherlands.  The group comprises five business areas which are Visma Software, Visma BPO, Visma Commerce Solutions, Visma Retail and Visma Projects & Consulting. For additional information, please visit Visma’s website at www.visma.com.

About Acumatica
Acumatica develops web-based ERP software that delivers the benefits of Cloud and SaaS without sacrificing customization, control, security, or speed.  Acumatica can be deployed on premise, hosted at a datacenter, or run on a Cloud computing platform.  Learn more about Acumatica’s Cloud ERP solution at www.acumatica.com.